Show me your aquariums and ponds!

Sansokuu

Sansokuu

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I was listening to Jeremiah Lee’s Black Pondo podcast with Rakuyo’s Andrew Robson and really enjoyed the banter about koi fish ponds and reef aquariums. I love aquariums and koi ponds, and have a bizarre fondness for fancy goldfish. I had a ranchu I named Chubbs (who became Chubbbs as he got huge) who I sadly had to leave behind in Los Angeles when I moved. If I had the space I would love so much to have a dedicated goldfish tank or indoor pond, a 50 gallon long planted tank, and a koi fish pond (with at least 8 fish, my very favorite are the white and red kohakus).

Do you have a fish pond or aquarium? Please share them with me! :)
 
My personal 10 gallon at my house. Just crystals and rocks. Runs off a sump in the basement. Requires 1 chlorine tab every 2 months. Zero maintenance.

Next is our koi pond in key biscayne.
 

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In my youth I raised gold fish and bettas and sold them for pocket money in concrete ponds. Now my koi pond is still only in my dream. Perhaps after retirement I will make one. If I do it will be a kidney shape pond about 18 feet in length with one large and deep end and a shallow end with a center smooth round rock in shallow water to encourage koi jumps.
 
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Cajunrider said:
In my youth I raised gold fish and bettas and sold them for pocket money in concrete ponds. Now my koi pond is still only in my dream. Perhaps after retirement I will make one. If I do it will be a kidney shape pond about 18 feet in length with one large and deep end and a shallow end with a center smooth round rock in shallow water to encourage koi jumps.
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Sounds lovely. And you can plant BCs all around.
 
This is a work in progress. My youngest son found this little guy a few years back in the background - not a common occurrence in my neck of the woods and actually quite random. He's outgrown his current tank and we got him a new home.
 

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This is the water basin for my rat snake. It itself is inside of a terrarium.
I got tired of cleaning the water bowl so I went with a stable snail and shrimp tank instead.
As long as my snake doesn't take a dump in it, it's staying clear of algae and the shrimps love picking the snake clean when it bathes in there.

The wood is cherry root, rocks were found near a river, the soil is kyuru (and it's not great for planting!).
 
My old pond in SoCal. No pond in North Carolina - we live on a big lake loaded with fish eaters! Herons, osprey, eagles, raccoons... they wouldn't last a second!

 
My reef tank from several years ago. After 15 years had to give it up and focus on my bonsai. It it very expensive and extremely demanding hobby although fascinating nonetheless. Maybe one day I will go back to it. Here are a few pics. Most of these are acroporas which are some of the most challenging colars to grow. The slightest change in water chemistry can bleach them. They are what you call reef building corals with their exoskeletons made of mostly calcium carbonate which can easily slice a ship and sink it if it runs into it!

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MACH5 said:
My reef tank from several years ago. After 15 years had to give it up and focus on my bonsai. It it very expensive and extremely demanding hobby although fascinating nonetheless. Maybe one day I will go back to it. Here are a few pics. Most of these are acroporas which are some of the most challenging colars to grow. The slightest change in water chemistry can bleach them. They are what you call reef building corals with their exoskeletons made of mostly calcium carbonate which can easily slice a ship and sink it if it runs into it!
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I kept a reef tank until we moved to SoCal and starting having children :) My koi pond was my "outdoor" tank... but one that I could leave for a week at a time and not worry about what I would return to.

Though nowadays with automation and streaming web cams, you have a lot more control for when you are away.
 
Bonsai Nut said:
I kept a reef tank until we moved to SoCal and starting having children :) My koi pond was my "outdoor" tank... but one that I could leave for a week at a time and not worry about what I would return to.

Though nowadays with automation and streaming web cams, you have a lot more control for when you are away.
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I had cameras and a lot of things were automated. But also more things to go south... and at some point they inevitably do. Whenever I traveled or went on vacation it was stressful. A lot of money and effort can go away in a matter of hours!! But it is also so satisfying and beautiful and was totally hooked for so many years. I had some fish but I was enthralled with the corals.
 
MACH5 said:
I had cameras and a lot of things were automated. But also more things to go south... and at some point they inevitably do. Whenever I traveled or went on vacation it was stressful. A lot of money and effort can go away in a matter of hours!! But it is also so satisfying and beautiful and was totally hooked for so many years. I had some fish but I was enthralled with the corals.
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Hey Mr SPS lover... here's a photo for you... from when I was snorkeling in Fiji :) Stay away from that damsel... she was very irritated with me :)

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MACH5 said:
Beautiful!! If I had to take a shot at an ID I'd say it's a purple Acropora formosa.
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I wish I could say I was better at stony coral ID... once I get past the genus I am lost. We've been to Fiji a couple of times and I never bothered to scuba... similar to Tahiti the snorkeling is as good if not better than the diving. This contrasts to Hawaii where diving is really the way to go.


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Bonsai Nut said:
I wish I could say I was better at stony coral ID... once I get past the genus I am lost. We've been to Fiji a couple of times and I never bothered to scuba... similar to Tahiti the snorkeling is as good if not better than the diving. This contrasts to Hawaii where diving is really the way to go.


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Incredible!!
 
MACH5 said:
Incredible!!
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Check it out... I highly recommend a visit. Remember - the prices are all Fijian dollars - current exchange rate 1 Fiji dollar = 0.45 US Dollars. 11 cabins on the entire island, and no day travelers. Average visitors on the island at any time: 20.

Home - Navini Island Resort Fiji

www.navinifiji.com.fj www.navinifiji.com.fj
 
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Bonsai Nut said:
Check it out... I highly recommend a visit. Remember - the prices are all Fijian dollars - current exchange rate 1 Fiji dollar = 0.45 US Dollars. 11 cabins on the entire island, and no day travelers. Average visitors on the island at any time: 20.

Home - Navini Island Resort Fiji

www.navinifiji.com.fj www.navinifiji.com.fj
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Awesome! Beautiful place. Thanks for the info and recommendation. I will definitely keep this in mind if I ever have the chance to go.
 
68g Planted peacefull community, “The Valley of Shadows”:

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84g Planted only black and yellow fish allowed “The Vale of Light”:

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5g Vintage Betta tank circa early 1900’s:

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Newly set up vintage Metaframe, “The Shrimp Playground” (still cycling, no fauna yet):

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2500g Pond “Koi Kompound” (literally a giant aluminum tank plopped in my yard,lol):

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